It is almost December, which means two things: You can finally bust out that overpriced puffy winter jacket. And you are going to host a fabulous holiday party for 20 of your closest friends. Yes, you can do it. And we’re going to help.
We’ve enlisted two of the Bay Area’s top caterers and celebrated culinary stars — Yigit Pura of Tout Sweet Patisserie and Margaret Teskey of Taste Catering & Event Planning — to develop a couple of irresistibly delicious party spreads: a luxe “Nutcracker”-inspired dessert buffet for grown-ups and a cocktail soiree fit for a gourmet queen.
Did we mention Pura and Teskey are besties? That’s why the parties blend so seamlessly. With recipes, serving ware suggestions and decorative tips included, you’ll have everything you need to pull off holiday entertaining without breaking a sweat.
Sans puffy jacket, of course.
‘Nutcracker’ Dessert Party, Tout Sweet Patisserie
Even grown-up kids cannot deny the magical nostalgia of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet suite, made all the sweeter through San Francisco pastry chef Yigit Pura’s vision.
This lavish buffet — a blend of bite-sized morsels and larger cakes and tarts — is a miniature version of Pura’s colorful Macy’s Union Square patisserie (a second outpost is opening this month in Palo Alto).
It starts with a tablescape full of nutcrackers, of course.
“When it comes to a dessert buffet, more is always better,” advises Pura, winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef: Just Desserts.” “You want different colors, heights, shapes and sizes so your eyes want to eat the food before your mouth does.”
If eyes could salivate, they would just looking at Pura’s desserts, many of which are featured in his new cookbook, “Sweet Alchemy: Dessert Magic” (Chronicle, $35, 224 pages).
For this buffet, he plucks recipes with flavors that evoke the “Land of Sweets” in Act 2 of “The Nutcracker.” It’s a celebration of sweet flavors from around the world, including Earl Grey Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffles and elegant, glossy Bosc Pears Roasted in Caramel and Indian Spices, alongside a Cheeky Raspberry Tart and classic Buche de Noel.
Display the truffles in a shallow glass-and-gold bowl at the center of the table, which you’ll want to cover in a luxurious green or red sequined tablecloth (La Tavola in San Francisco has them in every shade; you’ll find the nutcrackers at Macy’s Holiday Lane). You won’t believe how beautifully the sequins catch the candlelight. Finally, Pura suggests using small, stacked cake towers to hold one-nibble wonders, such as crunchy Pistachio-Vietnamese Cinnamon Brittle, and, according to Pura, the favorite among even closeted sugar eaters: his Baked Berry Meringue Kisses.
“You just put them in your mouth, and they melt and crunch,” he says. “They’re inexpensive and addictive.”
The Cocktail Party, Taste Catering & Event Planning
Taste Catering President Margaret Teskey imagines an evening inspired by “The Nutcracker” as an elegant and festive event — colorful and imaginative with “pretty little vegetarian morsels” and crowd-pleasing winter-themed cocktails.
Both sentiments come across in executive chef Chris Borges’ spread, which includes bright, savory Beet Macarons made from pressed beet extract and herbed goat cheese; Butternut Squash Cups, filled with an apple-leek compote; and a turmeric-tinged Cheddar Cauliflower Soup, ladled into vintage teacups and surrounded by a few red amaryllis flowers.
Everything is on display in floral, traditional heirloom platters (rent them online from Rent Vintage China). “Around the holidays, color is really important,” says Teskey, who adds dried pomegranates and pine needles to her tablescape. “For a celebration like this, it is important to have little jewels of color that catch your eye on a buffet.”
If you want to add meat to your buffet, go for something unique, and make it pop with a homemade cranberry or pomegranate relish. “It’s nice to have proteins that are different from what you have the rest of the year, like duck, venison or lamb,” Teskey says. “Something that evokes celebration.”
Add to that a rich cocktail setting, using sterling silver trays dotted with pine cones. Teskey suggests serving cocktails that evoke the season, like her Grand Winter Cocktail, a blend of bourbon, elderflower liqueur and ginger beer, in something regal, like a beaded rope Venetian tumbler (rent online from Wine Country Party & Events).
Pair it with a body-warming, rye-based, classic Boulevardier in vintage, etched wine glasses — with a bright orange rind for that must-have pop of color.
Cheers!
